Sun Get Picks Three And Four In WNBA Draft

By winning the final game of their season against Atlanta, the Connecticut Sun hurt their statistical chances in the 2015 WNBA draft lottery.

Connecticut's 13th win on Sunday gave both Seattle and Tulsa, which finished 12-22, a better shot at landing the top two picks in the college draft.

On Thursday, the odds ended up harming the Sun. The Sun landed the third and fourth selections in the draft. Seattle will have the first pick for the third time in its history and the first time since selecting UConn's Sue Bird in 2002. Tulsa will have the second pick.

That means it will be the Storm who will have right of first refusal on UConn All-American Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, considered the likely top pick.

The Sun have eight months to decide what do with their picks. During that time, the collegiate cream will rise to the top, helping along the decision.

But it is likely that the biggest decision will be the one made by Spaniard Alba Torrens, an international star drafted in the third round in 2009 when she was 17.

Torrens has yet to play in the WNBA. She's a great shooter, and the Sun were last in the league in shooting percentage this season.

Coach Anne Donovan and GM Chris Sienko hope to meet with Torrens next month when they all are in Turkey for the FIBA World Championship. Torrens plays in Russia.

"There is nothing really scheduled," Donovan said. "We will let Alba drive [any meeting]. But if we talk, the conversation will be about her coming to Connecticut. But I don't think there's a chance we would know that quickly. The last time we spoke to her [before the 2014 WNBA season], we felt confident she was coming this year. Her agent led us to believe it was likely going to happen. But at the end of the day, Alba was not comfortable with it."

The front office is also counting on the influence of one of Torrens' teammates last season, Sun center Kelsey Bone.

"I've been dealt the task of leaning on her in an effort to come over next summer," Bone said. "I've known since last season, before New York even traded me to the Sun, that Alba had been at least thinking about [playing in the WNBA] this season."

Torrens would provide the scoring and experience no one coming out college next season would give them.

"When I think of Alba, I think of Angel McCoughtry 2.0," Bone said. "Angel will post up every so often, but Alba is more guard-oriented. She is super-fast, super-athletic and an incredible shooter with a high basketball IQ. But the best thing about her is, she is a great teammate."